Anon accompanied Coloratura into town and followed her down a few winding streets, finding himself in front of what appeared to be a small stone chapel. The inside was rather dark, the only lighting being candles. Even in the dim lighting, however, he could see row after row of clothes stretching throughout the tiled floor.
The clothes were quite different from the ones he was used too. No suits or dresses, but lots of robes. Unlike his school robes, these ones were very intricate and made of higher quality fabric. Each seemed to have an insignia on them, even the option to put your own on.
"Alright," Coloratura began "We're going to need to get you something nice. Since we can't put your crest on, we'll just use the school coat of arms. Any color preference?"
"What best represents Clover?"
"I'd say green. It was the color of her aura."
"Her aura?"
"Another term for mana. You see, mana comes in distinct flavors. Yours is also green, probably due to Clover's mana running through you."
"Does the color signify anything?"
"I'm no expert in it," she said, rummaging through a few racks "but it can represent a lot of things. Personality, temperament, mood. Sunset is far more knowledgeable about it than I, you should ask her."
"I will."
Coloratura keeps scanning the racks of clothes before finally finding what she was looking for
"Perfect! This will go beautifully on you."
Coloratura pulls out a bright green robe from one of the racks. Even without any insignia it was quite ornate. On the cuffs it had white silk furls and a small overhang of dark green fabric down the left arm coming to the elbow. A medium-sized sash wrapped around the sash, the same dark green color as the overhang. It came with green silk gloves and fur boots.
"Are all mage outfits unisex like this?"
Coloratura puts her hand on her chin
"Well yes and no. Our outfits are certainly distinct between the genders but in much more subtle ways. For example:"
Coloratura pulled another outfit from the line, this one was more of a tunic however with a big white under suit.
"While the boys wear robes, we wear tunics like this. The tunics will often be intricately decorated. Most male robes will typically only have one insignia on them: their family crest, or if they haven't yet become head of the family, the coat of arms of their family, school, or guild. The female ones are a lot more complex. I'll show you what I mean when we get back and you see what I'll be wearing."
Coloratura walks up the counter and exchanges mana with the clerk. With the flick of his wand, the clerk engraved the school crest onto the center of the robe, a simple yellow sun. Once outside, Anon notices that color has drained from her face.
"Are you alright?"
"I am. That was just," she panted "A lot of mana."
"We need to get you some more then."
Anon extended his hand
"No, that's ok. I've got a solution for this."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a vial full of glowing blue liquid
"This is mana in it's physical form. All I need is a drop and I will be completely replenished."
She pulls off the cap and pours a small drop into her finger. Her skin absorbed it instantly and the color returned to her face.
"You mean the Greater Magic doesn't steal it?"
"Nope. It's to dense and heavy for the Greater Magic to interact with. However it does evaporate over a long period of time, about ten years."
"How is it even possible to condense mana that way?"
"Through a pressure spell. This bottle has a rune engraved on it so that anything within it is subjugated to and insane level of pressure. The pressure inside is similar to ten times earth's gravity."
Anon looks at it closely
"It's so beautiful."
"It is, isn't it?"
The pair return to their rooms and Coloratura begins to rifle through a chest, pulling out her tunic. She wasn't kidding about it being ornate. The entire thing was covered in various patterns and shapes.
"Women's tunics are extremely special. It's tradition in mage families for the mother to make it. Every year, during my birthday, a new design is added to represent that year. Thus, every tunic for every girl is unique."
Anon studies it closely
"So what do some of the stuff mean?"
She points to the two fish that take up a large portion of the chest
"I was born in February so the first thing to be added was the Pieces sign."
The next thing she points too is the shoulder cuffs. On each cuff was star made out of music notes, each music note a different color.
"That right there is my family crest."
She points to the bottom of the tunic which depicted a large circle with a dot in the middle and lines equidistant apart around the outside.
"This is the alchemical symbol for lighthouse and represents my mana. A very bright, pure stream."
Anon looked at the rest of the tunic. It was filled with literally hundreds of different symbols, all organized in a way to make it aesthetically pleasing
"This is amazing. What a cool tradition."
"I'm glad you like it."
Coloratura looks at the clock
"We better get ready." she said "Don't want to miss the festival do we?"
"Will it really take three hours to get there?"
"It'll take around two for me to get ready."
"Ah I see. Well I guess I'll try this on."
"Please do."
Anon goes into the school bathroom and changes into his new attire. It was surprisingly comfortable. The fabric was like velvet against his skin. He looked in the mirror and felt like royalty. Never in his life had he worn something so nice. His life... in his pursuit to learn about this new world he had nearly forgotten it. What was his family doing, he wondered? Did they miss him? Were they looking for him? Probably not. His sister would probably worried about him but when she went off to college they lost touch. He missed his sister. Not like he could tell her any of this. She'd think he went nuts.
Anon returned to find Coloratura was gone. Probably in the bathroom doing more preparation. Trixie, however, had returned.
"Hey, Trixie."
"Hey."
Trixie looked him up and down
"Nice outfit. I'm guessing you're accompanying us to the World's Eve tonight?"
"Yes."
Trixie flicks her wand and is instantly in her tunic, only her under suit was a dull blue. Much like Coloratura's, her tunic was packed with various symbols and designs.
"I like yours as well. Very intricate."
"You know why it's so intricate?"
"Yes. Coloratura explained the tradition to me."
"Good. I've always loved this little aspect of our culture. It's a shame it's female exclusive."
"It is. It's such a unique way to dress." he said "So what exactly is World's Eve? I know it's a festival, but what is it in celebration of?"
"It's to mark the discovery of the World Tree. It's said that primeval humans first discovered mana from the sapling of the World Tree. Some also say that the tree's roots directly connect to the Greater Magic, even that it's the origin of all life. whether it's true or not nobody really knows. The tree is also nourished solely on mana. At twelve midnight every year, all the attendees of the festival place their hands on the tree and feed it their mana, allowing the tree to continue living and growing."
Lyra chimed in
"You're not to do it however, Anon. We have to keep the utmost secrecy about your crest."
"I won't. I'm guessing you and Bonbon will be coming with us?"
"Yep. But you'll hardly see us unless there's trouble. It'd look too suspicious if we were around you all the time."
"Sounds good to me. No offense but having no private time is a bit annoying."
"It's a common complaint with people who aren't used to 24/7 body guards."
"So how long has the tree been around?"
"As long as humans have had magic." Trixie said "Back before humans even painted on cave walls or discovered fire. Nobody is certain how long the World Tree has been around. But we know it was around long before humans even knew how to talk."
"And we first found it when it was a sapling?"
"Yep."
Trixie gets a huge smile on her face
"I can't wait for you to see it. Let's just say it's a tad larger than trees in the mortal world."
"How big?"
"You should know by now I love keeping newbies in the dark."
A few hours later Coloratura emerges. Anon's jaw was practically on the floor. She had her hair in a tight bun and makeup done in a way to make her face snow white. She had strong blush on her cheeks and blue eye shadow. It reminded him of a Geisha.
"You look beautiful, Coloratura."
She giggles
"Why, thank you."
Trixie grumbles
"Aren't you going to do the traditional hair and makeup of your family?"
"No." Trixie spat
Anon cocked his eyebrow. Someone was jealous of the attention.
"Well we better get to the trolley." Coloratura said
Him and the two girls walk out to the front of the school where a large line of what looked to be cable cars waited. Only there were no tracks, they were just sitting in the grass. As they loaded on, Anon saw Sunset Shimmer. She looked absolutely immaculate. Her hair was also done in a bun with two braids running down either side connecting to it. She wore a long gold tunic. Rather than the designs simply being stitched in, hers were made with rose gold diamonds that shined in the light. Her lipstick was a bright gold and she had deep black eye shadow and liner. She certainly looked like she was of noble birth. Anon walked over next to her
"Hey, Sunset. Mind if I sit by you?"
Sunset's eyes widened
"Anon." she said, surprised "I wasn't expecting you to come. Please, sit."
She scooted over, giving him room.
"I assume they told you about this whole tradition?" she asked
"Yep. The whole thing from the festival to the outfits."
"I really like the one they picked for you. Green is a great color on you."
"Thanks. You look amazing yourself."
Sunset blushes a bit
"Thanks, Anon."
Anon starred down the rows to find Coloratura and Trixie with their arms crossed and looking away from one another.
"Hey, Sunset?"
"Yes?"
"Can you give me some of your female wisdom?"
"I'm not sure I have much of that, but sure."
"Ever since we started to get to the trolley, those two have been going at it. Do you have any idea why?"
Sunset looked confused
"Did they not tell you about that part of the event?"
"What part?"
"Well, before everyone puts their hands upon the Great Tree, a large dance is held. If I had to patent a guess, I'd say they both want a dance."
"Is it really that important or are their standards just that low?"
"It's incredibly important. It's seen as a status symbol. It's also a bit of a faux pas if you're a female without a partner."
"I bet as a noble you must have a line of guys wanting to dance."
Sunset got a look of pain in her eyes and rubbed her belly
"Oh... right... I'm sorry, Sunset."
"No, it's alright. I'm used to it at this point..."
"Hey, Sunset."
"Yes?"
"Would you mind if I danced with you?"
Sunset got a look of wonderment in her eyes
"You'd do that?"
"Of course I would."
He could see some tears forming in her eyes, but she stubbornly held them back.
"Thank you, Anon. That gesture means a lot more than you think."
The cable car lurched forward and began to climb into the air.
"Anytime, Sunset. You're a good friend."
"I feel the same way."
The cable car seemed to rip through reality in the same way the bus did when he first arrived. They traveled through a tunnel of dazzling lights for around an hour before finally reaching their destination. Anon's mouth was agape. Trixie wasn't kidding about the tree being large. From back to front it must have been a least mile long. It was beyond tall, so tall he couldn't even see the top. Along the branches were lights, even a few houses. At it's base were hundreds of stands and surrounding the tree was a large forest that extended as far as the eye could see. This was it. The last place Clover the Clever was ever seen.
"It's incredible, isn't it?" Sunset asked "No matter how many times I see it, it never ceases to amaze me. The fact that something can grow so large and be so old is just completely beyond me."
"No kidding. I didn't even think it was possible for something to get that big."
"If only you could see the roots. Your mind would be really blown then."
The cable car landed and everyone shuffled off, Trixie and Coloratura making their way back to him and Sunset.
"So what should we do first?"
Coloratura pulled out a little pocket guide from her pocket.
"Well the actual ceremony doesn't take place till midnight. So we've got quite a while to spend with the shops and mini events."
Anon decided to take a chance. He extend his arm to Sunset.
"Sunset."
Sunset's face glowed a deep red and a large smile folded on her lips.
"Thank you, Anon."
They locked their arms together while Trixie mocked them.
"Oh Anon." Trixie said in a silly voice "You're such a manly man. Oh take me!"
Trixie made lewd noises and bumped her hands together. Coloratura couldn't help but laugh.
"Sorry about that, Sunset." he said "Trixie is kind of a jerk sometimes."
"I don't mind. Can I tell you a secret?"
"Sure."
"You're the first boy to ever act this way around me." she said "Most know my family curse and stay as far away as possible."
"I'm sorry to hear that. I'll make sure this is a night to remember then."
He swore Sunset's face couldn't get any redder
"Thank you."
They walk down the rows of shops. Most of them were selling uninteresting garbage and food. What really caught their attention was some of the mini events. It really wasn't all dissimilar from a county fair. Things like bobbing for apples, darts, stage shows and the like. As much as they liked to differentiate themselves from mortals, they weren't so far from one another. They walked to a target shooting game with prizes.
"I want to see how well you've been practicing. Win me one of those prizes." Sunny said
"Absolutely."
Anon picked up the wand provided
"The rules are simple," the clerk said "Fire a small to medium dark of magic. Depending on where you hit the target you'll get a prize. You have three chances."
"Simple enough."
Anon took aim with his wand, focused, and to his surprise, actually manage to fire a bolt. It completely missed of course. He took aim and tried again. Miss. For some reason the bolts had an usual tendency to swing to the left. Anon took position to the far right, hoping to compensate, and fired. He hit it dead on in the bulls eye. Sunset got a huge smile.
"Nice shot."
"What can I say? I have a great teacher."
Anon picked out a large plushie of the Keeper, giving it to Sunset.
"Thank you."
"Anytime. I actually met that thing in person."
She looked surprise
"You've been to the hidden level of the Canterlot Libraries? How?"
"Lyra got me in."
"Lucky! I've been dying to get in there. But only eleventh and twelfth years are allowed." she said "Is it as dark as people say?"
"Darker. Even when Lyra was shinning her light we could barely see five feet in front of us."
"They really do take that motto seriously."
"So what do you want to next?"
Sunset points to the merry go round
"Let's do that."
"Sure thing."
Sunset climbed on one of the plastic horses and held her hand out
"Saddle up, partner."
Anon climbed behind her and she rested her head against his chest. Anon wrapped his arms around her waist and she melted into him. He had so many butterflies in his stomach he thought he might fly away.
"You really are a gentleman."
"And you're a beautiful young lady."
They looked across at the World Tree, the horse slowly rising and falling as they went around and around. It felt like time was standing still as they sat there in the embrace. After a while, the ride finally ended and for the next few hours they did various mini events. Anon seemed to be a lot more athletic than he remembered, winning Sunset several prizes. Finally, an hour before the big ceremony, they sat against the edge of the forest, starring out onto the World Tree.
"This night has been absolutely magical." Sunset said
"Well it isn't over yet." Anon said with a smirk "We still have a dance, if you'd be so kind to have one with me."
She smiled wide
"I wouldn't miss it for anything."
A long silence sat between them and he noticed Sunset beginning to lean in. Anon happily reciprocated and, slowly, their lips met in a clumsy kiss.